[Opinion] Royal Seal

Throughout history, seals have been the symbol of social status and authority. When you place your seal in someone’s custody it means you place your trust in him. It is an unwritten rule that you lend your money not your seal to others. The government and corporations have their own official seals. Official permits and licenses by the government and contracts between corporations will become valid only if they are officially sealed. Seals are the instruments that are more important than trust and words.

In the past, there was the Great Seal of the King, or the royal seal. Because it was made of jade or gold, it was also called “jade seal” or “gold seal.” However, it is more commonly known as the royal seal. In China, the seal of Shi Huangdi of the Chin dynasty, which was engraved with a line saying, “With the mandate of heaven, his life will be eternal,” was the first. In Korea, Yewang’s seal was the first. When a new Korean dynasty came to power, it sent an errand to China to receive a new seal as a symbol of its legitimacy. The sovereignty of the seal was deprived.

The country’s first independent seal was made in 1897 when King Kojong declared the founding of the Great Empire of Korea. An old royal seal shaped after a turtle, the symbol of the lord, was replaced with a seal of the dragon, the symbol of the emperor. After the country was annexed with Japan, the Japanese took all eight royal seals to Tokyo. After the end of the World War II, General Macarthur returned them to Korea. They were lost during the Korean War, and only three were found afterwards. At the launch of the Republic of Korea, the official seal engraved with “The Official Seal of the Republic of Korea” in Chinese was introduced. In 1963, it was replaced with a silver seal with an engraved line reading the Republic of Korea in Korean. In February of 1999, a new seal, engraved with the same fonts used in the first Korean-language book, was introduced to mark the fifty anniversary of the republic

Two days ago, the National Election Commission ruled against the Millennium Democratic Party’s (MDP) campaign manager, Chu Mi-ae who had the party seal in favor of MDP Chairman Chough Soon-hyung who promptly registered the new party seal with the commission in their dispute over ways to field candidates. The entire turn of events is reminiscent of Queen Dowager Cho of Chosun who quickly claimed the royal seal after the death of King Cheoljong to endorse Kojong as the new king. However, “seal” also means “end” or “determine.” Chough’s new seal could seal off his political fate.